Read, Shop & Share Everything on Wheels

Shop

Doe Loans

Backed by big political actors like Terry McAuliffe, the company is now under federal investigation

TUNICA, Miss. (AP) - It seemed like a win for everyone involved when a startup car company, backed by political heavyweights, wooed investors with plans to build a massive auto plant in the Mississippi Delta, hire thousands of people and pump out a brand new line of fuel-efficient vehicles.

Anyone looking for a chilling plug-in vehicle warning tale should check out this detailed Reuters article, which digs into the financial history of Fisker Automotive and reveals that the company lost around $35,000 per vehicle.

In the same week that Audi said "not so fast" to some claims from Tesla, Chrysler has responded to a new press release from the California-based EV-maker by saying "not exactly, Tesla." The statement, released through the company's blog, comes in response to Tesla claiming it was "the only American car company to have fully repaid the government." Chrysler notes that it, too, recently paid back Uncle Sam from its 2008 bailout. Similar to Audi's recent press release, which was eventually and myst

Tesla Motors announced Wednesday that it has paid off a $465 million U.S. Department of Energy loan in full with interest. In doing so, Tesla becomes the first U.S. automaker to completely repay loans distributed under the DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program.

House Republicans have been critical of the Obama Administration over new-energy loans to companies such as Tesla Motors, and will hold a hearing later this month to discuss struggling California-based Fisker Automotive, the Wall Street Journal says.

Three years ago, Carbon Motors chose one corner of a shuttered Visteon plant in Connersville, Indiana as the location to build its diesel-powered E7 dedicated police cruiser. Carbon intended to invest $350 million to start production, providing 1,500 jobs at the same time. That investment, however, relied the US Department of Energy approving a $310-million loan to Carbon through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, a loan that was ultimately denied.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is questioning why Department of Energy (DOE) loan funds are not paying out as planned. The participation hurdle is high, and there's about $16.6 billion in green vehicle loan appropriations going unused, the GAO found.

The US Department of Energy has been sued in US court by a company that it denied a loan to in its Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program. San Francisco-based XP Technology is charging the DOE with "corruption and negligence" for the way it handled the approval for loan process.

A plug-in hybrid delivery van sure seems like a good idea for commercial fleet customers looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and better manage volatile gasoline prices, right? Some companies, FedEx and Frito-Lay, are already buying green vehicles, and there are many other companies making a lot of short hauls in crowded urban areas where people would notice a reduction in diesel fumes. So why is this nut so difficult to crack?

Alongside the positive news in the recent shareholder call that Tesla Motors held recently, there is this bit of news that will help us understand the company's financial picture: the company confirmed that the first Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program loan payment is due in December and hinted the first payment might come early. The company previously announced the December due date in May.

Carbon Motors, maker of the purpose-built E7 police car, won't receive the $310 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program that it applied for almost three years ago, and said that it's a victim of politics.

Carbon Motors, maker of the purpose-built E7 police car, won't receive the $310 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program that it applied for almost three years ago, and said that it's a victim of politics.

The Detroit News reports Chrysler is walking away from the company's pursuit of low-interest Department of Energy loans. The automaker originally applied for an $8.55 billion loan when it was still under Cerberus Capital Management, though the figure had since shrunk to $3.5 billion. The DOE, meanwhile, said it was considering a much smaller $2 billion loan with additional restrictions than were previously negotiated. The loan period would also be significantly shorter. Chrysler had sought the f

Despite reports to the contrary, Tesla Motors won't ask the U.S. Department of Energy for an additional Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan, according to the automaker's chief executive officer.

One of the many, many contentious issues that make up the ongoing pointless battles between the Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C. is the Solyndra case, about how the now-bankrupt solar-power company got loan guarantees. Republicans say the Obama Administration pushed the loans through in a less-than-honest manner. The Administration and the DOE say everything was aboveboard.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives reportedly want to cut in half the balance of a U.S. government fund, the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program, that was set aside to help the automotive industry develop more fuel efficient vehicles.